Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has admitted that he regrets making jokes about Mexicans and their culture on the BBC show.

Earlier this year, while recording an installment of Top Gear, Richard remarked that Mexicans are, “lazy, feckless [and] flatulent”.

His co-hosts, Jeremy Clarkson and James May, joined in with the “joke” adding that it was unlikely the Mexican ambassador would complain as he would be “asleep”.

However, the Mexican Ambassador was not dozing and he lodged a complaint with the BBC, branding the remarks “offensive, xenophobic and humiliating.”

Speaking to Metro today, Hammond said, “I regret any misunderstanding or upset that was caused.

“It was clearly intended as a joke. I was trying to portray myself as actually believing the images of Mexicans I received from Westerns were accurate.

“I clearly don’t actually believe that – and the majority of people understood that.

“I was intentionally being ridiculous.”

At the time, the BBC defended the comments made by all three hosts, saying they were nothing more than, “stereotype-based comedy” but they confirmed that the executive producer of Top Gear had apologised to the Mexican Ambassador.